Sentence-final particle 語氣詞 (语气词)

yǔqìcí · from English

What is a sentence-final particle?

A sentence-final particle is a small word at the end of a sentence that adds mood, attitude or a question, such as Mandarin 嗎, 吧, 呢 or Japanese ね and よ.

These particles carry tone of voice: softening, urging, seeking agreement, or showing surprise. Cantonese is famous for having dozens of them. Singlish lah and leh come from this Chinese and Malay particle habit.

Examples

你好嗎 nǐ hǎo ma? (how are you?); 走吧 zǒu ba (let's go); いいね ii ne (nice, right?); Cantonese 係囉 hai6 lo1 (exactly); Singlish can lah (sure, can do)

Kungfucius says: One syllable at the end of a sentence decides whether you sound friendly or passive-aggressive.